Nutritional supplements differ generally from nutritionally complete liquid foods in that they are not intended to provide all of the nutritional requirements of a human, but instead are intended to supplement other, more conventional, sources of nutrition. Nutritional supplements can take the form of pills, capsules, food bars, powders, and ready-to-drink beverages. Modern consumers not only desire that their beverages be refreshing and tasty, they also desire some level of nutritional supplementation, especially for the important vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, Vitamin C, the B vitamins, and folic acid.
Parents of toddlers and children are especially sensitive to the nutritional needs of their offspring and understand that unfortified juice products and soft drinks fall short of the nutritional needs of the growing child. Parents are also aware that for children to consume a nutritionally beneficial beverage, it must taste good and have a refreshing character. The beverage industry has expended significant efforts over the last two decades in developing products that provide significant levels of important vitamins and minerals in a matrix that is clear, refreshing, juice-based, of low viscosity, and with good physical stability over shelf life.
Taste fatigue is a common problem in patients who are required to consume the conventional milk-based nutritional supplements on a regular basis. In addition, some patients, particularly children, young women, and the elderly, have aversions to "milky" or "milk-shake" type supplements. The beverage of this invention is a juice-based alternative to the primarily milk-based supplements currently available. The present invention represents an acceptable and refreshing means of supplementing energy, vitamins, and mineral intake in those patients who are tired of the milk-based alternatives. The beverage of this invention has a pleasing appearance, is essentially free of sediment (clear or transparent) and has pleasing organoleptic properties (a thin texture and good taste). This beverage also contains high levels of calcium and provides a means for supplementing calcium intake in individuals requiring such supplementation. These individuals include children, adult females, especially lactating and post menopausal females.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,531 to Liebrecht, et al., discloses a protein-containing nutritional supplement that is essentially devoid of added macronutrients and fat. This patent teaches that a clear, low viscosity beverage can be produced by: 1) preparing an acidified, aqueous solution of whey protein isolate at a pH of about 2.8 to about 3.3; 2) preparing an aqueous solution of carbohydrates; and 3) thereafter combining the two solutions. This patent does not suggest the use of a pectin-free and clarified fruit juice and a source of calcium selected from natural milk mineral, calcium lactate gluconate and mixtures thereof to prepare a clear, thin, and refreshing, nutritionally significant beverage.
EP Patent 486,425 to Sandoz Nutrition Ltd., discloses a liquid formulation comprising, based on the total formulation calories, from 40%-90% of the calories as carbohydrates, from 2%-30% of the calories as protein, from 0%-35% of the calories as fat and from 0%-17% of the calories as fiber wherein the protein source is at least 60% by weight whey protein concentrate and the pH of the formulation is from 3.5 to 3.9. This patent does not suggest the use of depectinized fruit juice to provide a juice-based product that can be easily flavored and that results in a substantially clear beverage that has excellent physical stability over shelf life.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,595 to DeWille, et al., discloses a liquid beverage consisting of water, calcium glycerophosphate as a source of calcium, a Vitamin D emulsion using a gum selected from gum arabic, gum tragacanth, and xanthan gum, wherein the beverage contains from 7.2%-18% calcium on a dry weight basis. This patent does not suggest or disclose the use of a natural milk mineral concentrate and/or calcium lactate gluconate as a source of highly bio-available calcium.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,702 to Selinger, et al., discloses an opacifying material of microgranular protein. This material is disclosed as being prepared by wet milling denatured whey protein isolate. This reference defines the terms "denatured whey protein isolate", "lactalbumin," and "isolate" as mixtures of water insoluble denatured dairy whey proteins. The denatured whey protein isolate typically has a dry weight lactose content of less than 20% and preferably less than 10%. This patent does not suggest that 0.5% to about 4.0% by weight of a whey protein isolate be combined with from 0.1% to 3.0% by weight of specific sources of calcium and a depectinized fruit juice to produce a clear, thin, and refreshing beverage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,282 to Mehansho, et al., discloses vitamin- and mineral-fortified beverages that are stable and contain Vitamin A in the form of encapsulated beta carotene, Vitamin C, and riboflavin. The beverages according to this reference also contain at least 3% by weight fruit juice. The fruit juices disclosed include grape, pear, passion fruit, cherry, pineapple, banana, grapefruit, apple, cranberry, and mixtures thereof. This reference fails to suggest or disclose the use of a pectin-free and clarified fruit juice that provides a base for the production of a substantially clear beverage that utilizes a natural milk mineral and/or calcium lactate gluconate as a source of calcium.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,413 to Wisenberger, et al., discloses a protein-containing drink with a pH of 4.0 to 5.0 consisting essentially of 30-90 wt. % of a fruit juice or a mixture of fruit juices having a solids content of 4-20 wt. %; 2-20 wt. % of a whey concentrate corresponding to a whey protein content of 1.2-5 wt. % wherein the lactose content of the whey concentrate has been enzymatically cleaved; mineral salts and vitamins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,417 to Staples discloses an isotonic beverage that contains from about 1% to about 3% by weight of a whey protein concentrate prepared by ultrafiltration. Most of the electrolytes provided in the beverage of this reference are supplied by the whey protein concentrate. The beverage of this patent is directed to electrolyte solutions that rapidly replace body fluids, electrolytes as well as protein that are lost during periods of strenuous physical activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,375 to Dalan, et al., discloses a process for preparing a soluble whey protein fraction that can be incorporated into beverages for protein enrichment purposes and can also be used as a constituent of a clouding agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,554 to Kalala, et al., is directed to a calcium-fortified beverage comprising water, concentrated fruit juice, and a solubilized calcium component consisting of tribasic calcium phosphate and calcium lactate. In similar fashion, U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,856 to Clark describes a beverage that uses a mixture of calcium ascorbate with calcium aspartate and/or calcium orotate as the source of bioavailable calcium.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,847 to Heckert discloses a calcium-supplemented single-strength fruit juice beverage that contains about 0.06% to about 0.26% by weight solubilized calcium, from about 0.4% to about 4% by weight of a mixture of citric acid and malic acid at weight ratios of from about 5:95 to about 90:10, respectively.
While the prior art beverages disclose the supplementation of juice-based drinks with calcium sources such as calcium glycerophosphate, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate (CaCO.sub.3), calcium citrate-malate, calcium oxide (CaO), and the like, they have failed to appreciate that a natural milk mineral concentrate and/or calcium lactate gluconate, that is essentially free of protein and fat, would be useful in preparing a clear, thin, juice-based beverage. Further, the prior art has failed to realize the benefits associated with the use of a pectin-free and clarified juice as the base for preparing a clear, thin nutritional supplement. Further, the prior art has failed to solve the problems of browning, physical stability, and sediment formation that is associated with the typical vitamin and mineral fortified juice-based beverage. Most importantly, the prior art has suggested that stabilizers such as pectins and gums be used to reduce the formation of sediment and enhance physical stability problems. This is contrary to the present invention. One surprising aspect of the present invention is that a highly stable beverage can be prepared without the use of the typical pectins and gums. In fact, the beverage of the invention is essentially devoid of pectins and stabilizing gums. In view of the present disclosure or through the practice of the present invention, other advantages or solutions to other problems will become apparent.